The Alaska Vegetation Classification - Alaska Geobotany Center ...

Sere-A sequence of plant communities that follow one another in an ecologicalsuccession on the same habitat from a pioneer stage to, and terminate in, aparticular kind of stable (climax) association.Series--Term for a group of habitat types having the same tree species dominant atclimax; for example, white spruce series or black spruce series.ShrubA woody perennial plant differing from a tree by its low stature and bygenerally producing several basal stems instead of a single bole, and from aperennial herb by its persistent and woody stem(s).DwarfshruM shrub less than 20 centimeters (8 in) tall.LOW shrub4 the Alaska vegetation classification, a shrub between 20 centimeters(8 in) and 1.5 meters (5 ft) in height.Tall s hruM shrub more than 1.5 meters (5 ft) in height.Shrubland-A landscape occupied by a scrub vegetation and probably not capableof growing trees.Silt-As a soil separate, individual mineral particles that range in diameter from theupper linlit of clay (0.002 millimeter [0.0005 in]) to the lower limit of very fine sand(0.05 millimeter [0.002 in]). As a soil textural class, soil that is 80 percent or moresilt and less than 12 percent clay.Site-An area considered in terms of its environment and ecological factors withreference to capacity to produce a particular vegetation; the combination of biotic,climatic, and soil conditions of an area.SlougkA former stream channel now containing standing water, at least seasonally.Snag-Standing dead tree from which the leaves and most of the branches havefallen.SnowbebArea where snow accumulates each winter and melts late each growingseason; for example, cornice on the lee of a ridge.Snowfield-An area or mass of snow that remains throughout much of the summer.Softwood-In common usage, the wood of a coniferous tree. Inaccurate, in that thewood of many conifers is harder than that of many "hardwoods"; for example, spruceis harder than aspen.Soil-The unconsolidated mineral and organic material on the immediate surface ofEarth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants.Soil reaction-The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a soil expressed in pH values.Soil texture-A property defined by particle size distribution and thus dependent onrelative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particles in a mass of soil.Coarse-textured soil-sand or loamy sand.Moderately coarse-textured soil-sandy loam and fine sandy loam.Medium-textored soil-Very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or silt.Moderately fine-fextored soil4lay loam, sandy clay loam, and silty clay loam.Fine-texrured soil4andy clay, silty clay, and clay.273